Geoege a



Patented Sept. 4,

IIIII 74?): If: ill I III .IIIIIIFI UNITED STATES PATENT @rrrcn GEORGE A. HALL, OF DEXTER, MAINE, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF TO EDWARD H. CHASE, OF SAME PLACE.

CARPET-STRETCHER.

, SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 388,864, dated $eptember 4,1888.

Application filed March 29. 1888. Serial No, 268.78.). (No model.)

To aZZ whom it may concern.- P represents an operating-lever, which has Be it known that I, GEORGE A. HALL, a citiits lower front ends pivoted to the rear end of zen of the United States, residing at Dexter, the head H, and said operating-lever is conin the county of Penobscot and State of Maine, nected to the links by means of a pivotal have invented new and useful Improvements bolt, B. At the outer end of the operatingin Oarpet-Streiohers, of which the following is lever is a handle, S, by means of which the a specification. lever may he readily operaietl.

My invention relates to an improvement in On the under side of the block G, near the carpct-stretchers;anditconsistsinthepeculiar end and at the center thereof, are secured to construction and combination of devices that cushions or plates T, which arernadcof leather will he more fully set forth hereinafter, and or other suitable elastic material. The length particularly pointed out in the claims. of the said cushions or plates is somewhat in In the drawings, Figure 1 is a perspective excess of the width of the block G, and the view of a carpet-stretcher embodying my imends of said cushions or plates are rigidly se i 5 provcincnts. Fig. 2 is a vertical transverse cured to the bottom of said blocks and flush sectional view taken on the line a: as of Fig. 1. with the front and rear sides thereof, and Fig. 3 is a detail view of block G. thereby said cushions or plates are bowed A represents a pair of parallel bars, which downward from the said blocks and are renare connected at their front ends by a vertical dered resilient or yielding, as will be readily 20 block, 13. On the front side of the said block understood. 7 is screwed a plate, (3, which is provided at its U represents a series of engaging-teeth with lower end with a pair of depending rearward which each of the yielding plates or cushions inclined engagingprongs, D. One of the bars is provided, the said teeth being made of steel A is provided on its upper edge with a series or other suitable material, U-shaped, having 25 of ratchet-teeth, E. their lower ends beveled and passed through F represents a roller, which is journaled beopenings in the said plates, and having their tween the rear end of bars A and is adapted upper sides bearing on the block G, as shown to support the rear end of the machine. in Fig. 3.

G representsablock,whieh isarranged trans- The operation of my invention is as follows: 0 versely under the bars A and projects later- The prongs D are caused to engage the door at ally beyond the outer sides of the same. On the wainscoting of the room, the lever l? is the upper sides of this block, at the center turned to nearly a vertical position, so as to thereof, is secured a head, H, which is guided draw the block Gr inward on the bars A, and between the bars A and is adapted to slide the teeth on the lower sides of the yielding backward and forward between the same. plates of said block are caused to engage the Bolted to the upper side of this head isaplate, edge of the carpet. The operator then de I, the sides of which extend laterally over the presses the rear end of the levcrl,and thereby upper edges of the bars A and form flanges forces the block G forward, so as to cause the which serve to guide the head between the same to eii'ectually stretch the carpet. The 40 bars and preventthe same from becoming disdog which engages the ratchet-teeth on one of 9c lodged therefrom. The said plate is provided the bars prevents retrograde movement of the at one of its rear corners with an ear, K, to block and serves to maintain the carpet in which is pivoted a dog, L, that is adapted to position when stretched while the same is heengage the ratchet-teeth of one of the bars. ing tacked to the floor. The plates T being 5 The said dog has an opcrating'handle, M, resilient,compensate for any unevenness of the which is provided at its outer end with a floor on which the carpet is being laid and weight, N. permit the teeth on said plates to yield and 0 represents a pair of links, which have move vertically when the edge of the carpet their lower ends pivoted on the inner side of to which they engage encounters a projection 50 the bars A, near the rear ends thereof. or rough place on the floor, so as to cause the 103 carpet to slide over the same and thereby prevent the carpet from being arrested at such places.

Having thus described my invention, I claim 1. The combination, in a carpet-stretcher, of the bars A, having the prongs at their front ends and the supporting-roller at their rear ends, the block having the engaging-teeth and provided with the head arranged between the bars and guided therein, the lever pivoted to the said head, and the links 0, connecting the lever to the bars A, substantially as described.

2. lhe combination of the bars A, having the ratchet-teeth, the block at the front ends of the said bars having the cngaging prongs,

the roller journaled between the rear ends of the bars, the block having the head arranged between the bars A, the plate secured on the said head and having the flanges bearing on the upper sides of the bars, the dogs pivoted to the said plate and adapted to engage the ratchet-teeth, the lever pivoted to the block, and the links connecting the lever to the bars A, substantially as described.

In testimony thatIclaim the foregoing asrny own I have hereto affixed my signature in presence ot'two witnesses.

GEORGE A. HALL.

Vitnesses:

L. B. WALDRON, L. D. EDGERLY. 

